


Lessons in Infatuation

by AlwaysCryOverSpilledMilk



Category: Naruto
Genre: Acquaintances to Friends to Lovers, Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Modern Era, Slow Burn, Tutoring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2019-03-07 10:55:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13433241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlwaysCryOverSpilledMilk/pseuds/AlwaysCryOverSpilledMilk
Summary: Naruto's struggles to pass Physics don't go unnoticed by his teacher, who decides to assign him a tutor- Shikamaru. Naruto can't quite grasp how someone so lazy could be such a genius, while Shikamaru has a hard time thinking this will really pay off in the end. Unsurprisingly, they both come to realize there's a lot more to each other than what they originally thought.





	1. Chapter 1

“Naruto, what’re you doing?!”

Naruto doesn’t answer the amused-sounding exclamation from Sakura as he crumples up a piece of paper and jumps up from his seat. He looks over to Kiba and says, “Bet I can shoot this in the trash can from Hinata’s desk!” 

Kiba glances to the very back of the classroom where Hinata was sitting. “No way, man,” he says, shaking his head at Naruto. 

“I’m goin’ for it, and I’m gonna make it, believe it!”

As Naruto starts slow-motion running to the back, Kiba narrates as sports announcers would. “And Uzumaki takes the ball, makes a run for it!” Naruto hops atop a shyly blushing Hinata’s desk. “He prepares to take the shot- with nearly perfect form!” Naruto throws the paper ball as though it were a basketball, letting it smoothly leave his fingers and glide toward the front of the room where the trash can is. “The ball is in the air, the crowd is on the edge of their seats with this one. It’s almost there, closer now... “ The crumpled paper lands perfectly inside the can and Kiba concludes, “And Uzumaki makes the shot! And the crowd goes wild!” 

Naruto cheers for himself, loud and rambunctious, as he dances around the other kids’ seats in his excitement and pride. Just as he points to Kiba and starts to say something along the lines of, “I told you so,” their teacher steps into the room. 

“Naruto, stop fooling around and get in your seat,” their teacher, Iruka, says immediately.

“I was just-” Naruto starts, but Iruka cuts him off.

“Naruto. Sit,” he says, sighing as he walks over to his desk at the front of the room.

Naruto awkwardly rubs the back of his neck as he returns to his seat in between his best friend Sasuke and the wall. Sasuke rolls his eyes at him, to which he gives a dorky grin in response. “Idiot,” Sasuke whispers before facing front.

“Today, we’ll begin with passing back your tests from last week. I’m sure most of you will be pleased with your grades,” Iruka proclaims, beginning to walk around the room and place each students’ tests on their desks. Nearly none of the students react too negatively or seem too surprised by their results. Naruto’s grin drops and he peers over at Sasuke’s test, whispering quickly,

“What did you get, Sasuke?”

Sasuke gives him an irritated glance (Naruto thinks it may just be his normal face) and shows him the 99% written in red pen at the top of his paper. “I can’t believe I’ve failed,” he mutters, a dark look crossing his eyes briefly.

Naruto’s jaw drops. “ _ You _ failed? Sasuke! I got a 37%!!” he whisper-yells, shoving his paper in Sasuke’s face. 

Sasuke makes an unconcerned grunt in response. “Maybe you should’ve studied.”

“I did!”

“Not enough, clearly.”

Naruto shrugs and turns his attention back to their teacher, slumping down in his seat in defeat. Class drones on, the simple forty minutes feeling more like forty hours to Naruto in his depressed state. When the period is finally over, he quickly packs his things up and clambers over to the door, only to be stopped by Iruka’s voice.

“Naruto, a word?”

Naruto internally groans as he stops and pivots back around toward Iruka’s desk. “What’s up?” he asks.

“Alright, Naruto. I think we both know your grades in my class this year haven’t been too great,” Iruka begins. “So, I’ve come up with a way to help you out!”

“Um, okay??”

“A tutor!” Iruka says happily, clapping his hands together.

“A… tutor?”

“Yes! I think it’ll really help you out, Naruto!” 

“Do I have a choice, Iruka-sensei?”

“Nope! Your grade more or less depends on it at this point.”

Naruto looks down at his feet. “I guess… if it’ll help me pass, then okay! Who will it be? Um.. Oh! Could it be Sakura? She’s definitely smart!” And really pretty, in Naruto’s opinion. He’s only been tripping over her since they were twelve. They’ve been friends since around then, five years ago, but he knows his love for her is stronger than just that. He thinks all the alone time together that tutoring would supply could definitely make something happen between them.

“No, I don’t think she’s quite right for your tutor.”

“Aww, really? Why not? Hey, what about Sasuke! He gets good grades! He got a 99 on the test we got back today!”

“Naruto, if your tutor is one of your best friends you’ll get nothing done,” Iruka replies, sighing.

“That’s not true!”

“It is. And besides. I’ve already got someone in mind! He was, in fact, the only one that got 100% on this test! It’ll be great, trust me, Naruto.”

Naruto isn’t so sure how crazy he feels about the little gleam in his teacher’s eyes. “Uhhh, so who is it?”

“Shikamaru!” Iruka proclaims with a bright smile.

“What.”

“Shikamaru.”

“No, no. I heard you, it’s just. Shikamaru’s the laziest guy ever!”

“That may be true, but he knows what he’s doing. Trust me, Naruto, this is a great idea!” Naruto opens his mouth to protest once more, but Iruka concludes the conversation with, “Now scurry on out of here and get excited for your tutoring!”

Naruto leaves the room, wondering how the hell Shikamaru could teach him anything.

 


	2. Chapter 2

“So, do you wanna come over after school?”

“W-what??”

Naruto looks up from his notes to see Shikamaru staring at him blankly.

“To start with tutoring for physics,” Shikamaru answers flatly.

“Oh, um…” Naruto blinks in surprise, having already forgotten about his discussion with Iruka the day before. “Okay. Yeah, that works.”

“Do you know how to get there, or do you just wanna come with me?”

“Can I?”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want you to, dude,” Shikamaru tells him with a slightly amused snort. Naruto didn’t think he had a sense of humor.

Naruto laughs awkwardly as he replies, “Riiight. Soo, do you wanna meet out front after eighth period?”

“Sure.”

Naruto plans on saying something else, he doesn’t even know what but something, but Shikamaru is already walking away to his own desk on the other side of the room.

\---

At the end of the school day, Naruto hurries to his locker to get his things. He sees Sasuke doing the same a few lockers down, so once he finishes at his own locker he steps over to his friend. “Hey, Sasuke!” he nearly shouts in excitement.

Sasuke doesn’t look away from what he’s doing as he replies blandly, “What do you want?”

Naruto’s smile doesn’t falter at his chum’s seemingly irritated response; he’s used to this. He knows that even when Sasuke’s acting like a dick to him, he’s still being nicer to him than he ever is to anyone else. “I have to be tutored in physics now, can you believe it?” Naruto asks.

Sasuke gives him an  _ ‘Are you serious?’ _ look and answers, “Yes.”

“I tried asking if  _ you _ could be my tutor but apparently we’d get nothing done together,” Naruto says with a shrug.

“Yeah, because you’d be too stupid to understand what I tell you and I’d yell at you and you’d get sad and eat ramen. That’s why it wouldn’t work.”

Naruto considers it for a moment, eventually nodding in agreement. “Yeah, fair enough. Anyway, it’s Shikamaru that has to tutor me. Which- oh, man! I have to go meet him out front to go over to his house! I was, like, hurrying, getting all my stuff, so I wouldn’t have to make him wait or anything, but then… then I saw you and got so distracted because I wanted to talk to you! Aaaah! I gotta go, bye, Sasuke!” 

Sasuke watches with a small smile as Naruto quite literally runs away toward the school’s front doors, hitting a few people on the way. He chuckles at his friend’s antics, wondering how Shikamaru would ever be able to deal with him. 

\---

Naruto finds Shikamaru laying on one of the benches outside of their school with a hand over his eyes to block out the sun. “What’cha doin’?” he asks him.

“Cloud-watching,” Shikamaru answers. He stands up slowly and asks, “Ready to go?” Naruto nods. “I walk home, by the way,” he says as they start moving. “Waiting for the bus is such a drag.”

“Couldn’t you drive?”

“Too troublesome.”

“Oh. I always just get a ride from Sasuke or Kiba. I don’t mind walking or anything, I just feel like it takes too long. I’d rather get everywhere as quickly as I can.”

“Sometimes it can be nice to take the scenic route, I guess. Hurrying all the time is so tiresome.”

_ ‘Wow, this guy really is lazy,’ _ Naruto thinks to himself. 

They don’t talk much the rest of the way, aside from occasional offhand comments. Shikamaru tells him his parents aren’t home, won’t be for two weeks. Some business affair he wouldn’t explain because it would take too much effort. The Nara house isn’t huge on the outside, but it seemed it on the inside. Naruto isn’t too used to being in big houses; his own place is quite small, as is Sasuke’s, which is the only other place he frequents. They both live alone, so they have no reason to have any more space than they do. 

“Your house is really nice,” Naruto says.

“I guess,” Shikamaru answers with a shrug. “Thanks.”

“A lot bigger than my apartment.”

“You live in an apartment? Not a house?”

“Only families live in houses…” Naruto replies, his gaze awkwardly shifting away from his host.

“Ah… Sorry.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it!” Naruto smiles, but Shikamaru notes that it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. He sees the dejectedness in him, regardless of how well-masked it is. He hates seeing people like Naruto hurt, people who don’t deserve to feel like that, people who are so spectacular but have had so much tragedy. Even more than that, he hates that he caused this sudden disheartenment. He hates that he cares.

“Do you want something to eat?” Shikamaru asks, hoping it’ll maybe cheer Naruto up at least a little. He’s never been too good at verbal comfort anyway, too difficult. He finds it to be very challenging when dealing with other people’s feelings, dangerous almost.

“I’ll just eat when I get home, although I do love food.”

Shikamaru smiles, saying, “Let’s just get started, alright?”

“Sounds good!” 

\---

After attempting to go over the new material they’d been taught earlier in class, Shikamaru realizes they need to back up.  _ Way _ back, and go through everything they’ve already learned, because apparently Naruto hadn’t really learned any of it. They go through the very beginning of their notes (the textbook, really, because neither take the best notes; Naruto’s are sloppy and confusing, while Shikamaru’s are minimal because writing everything takes a lot of work) and have slight success. 

“Okay, so do you get factor labelling yet?” Shikamaru asks.

Naruto nods slowly, if not a little unsurely. “I think so…” 

“Can you do this conversion here for me?” Shikamaru points to one of the questions in the book.

“Okay…” Naruto takes a moment to work it out in his notebook and shows it to Shikamaru once he finishes. “Did I do it right?”

Shikamaru can tell he’s nervous, worrying about still getting it all wrong and disappointing him again. He hasn’t been disappointed at all, and he’s a little miffed that Naruto would even think he could be. Shikamaru is impressed, if anything. He honestly hadn’t expected to make much progress at all on the first day, but Naruto’s been giving it his all and it’s paying off. He looks over Naruto’s work and lets a little smile slip across his lips. “Yeah, this is right. Good work, man.”

“Really? Awesome!!” Naruto grins widely in excitement. “So, now what?”

“Well, it’s getting a little late so we can call it a day here. You did well today. Maybe Thursday for our next session?”

“Yeah, sure! Why not tomorrow, though?”

“I’ll give you a little break,” Shikamaru says with a laugh. Naruto doesn’t need to know the break is moreso for himself. Tutoring is a lot of work, he knew that going in. It’s the reason he wasn’t so crazy about it when Iruka broached the subject with him on Monday before class. However, he figures, it’s worth it if it means Naruto could avoid failing. Naruto’s not a lost cause like he’s heard some other kids and even teachers say before. He works harder than almost anyone else, Shikamaru is sure, and that’s how he’ll make it.

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow in class!” Naruto exclaims jovially, grabbing his backpack and walking toward the door. He stops and turns back to Shikamaru briefly to say, “Thanks. Really, thanks for doing this,” before scurrying out.

Shikamaru shuts his textbook and sighs. He knows it’s going to be a while before Naruto can catch up with where the rest of the class is at, because even with the faith he sort of has in him he still knows Naruto is extremely… incompetent. Shikamaru doesn’t like the way the word sounds, thinks it’s a bit too condescending, but he knows it’s true. They’ll make it work, though, together. He knows they will. Well, he  _ hopes _ they will. He thinks maybe if he makes a plan, rather than just going back through everything as they had today, it could go by quicker… 

...How troublesome.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Two days later, on Thursday, Naruto and Shikamaru have their second tutoring session as planned. Naruto, as he had the first day, walks home with Shikamaru from school. They continue on their plan of just going back to the beginning of their notes, and have little success with the topics they cover. 

Naruto struggles to grasp any of the concepts or methods Shikamaru explains, which gets them both a little frustrated. After about an hour, Shikamaru suggests they take a brief break to give their heads a moment’s rest. Naruto scurries off to the bathroom almost directly after, while Shikamaru sits back on the couch. He happens to glance at Naruto’s binder on the table, noticing a test from what looks like English sticking out of it. He hesitates, knowing what he wants to do is wrong- it’s a total invasion of privacy. 

Shikamaru checks to be sure Naruto is still in the bathroom before opening up the vibrant orange binder. Inside, he sees countless test and quiz papers with an unfortunate amount of red pen covering each and every one. He sighs, not exactly surprised at the discovery. He’s had a feeling this whole time that if Naruto is having such a hard time in physics, he probably is in a few other classes as well. All of them, apparently. He sits back once more in contemplation. Should he offer his assistance in their other classes? Naruto clearly needs the help, but Shikamaru feels like it might be overstepping. If Naruto wants the help, he surely would ask Shikamaru for it. Right?

Shikamaru doesn’t have the chance to answer his own mental question before his classmate erupts from the bathroom and reenters the room. He quickly shuts the binder just before Naruto looks up and doesn’t bring it up.

\---

Later on, when Naruto gets home, he decides to whip out his phone and call his favorite person to whine to. 

“ _ What do you want? _ ” an irritated voice asks, having picked up immediately.

“Sasuke, this isn’t working out!”

“ _ Are you… breaking up with me? _ ” Sasuke jokes- a rare thing.

Sasuke sounds tired, Naruto realizes. He’d probably been napping, he supposes. “No, the tutoring! It’s just going so terribly. I’m not learning at all, I don’t understand anything he’s telling me at all!"

“ _ Naruto, today was only… what, your second day? You’ve only just begun, stop freaking out. You might be a total idiot, but you’re not stupid. _ ”

“Yup, that really makes me feel better. Shikamaru probably hates me, since I’m so dumb. He’s just wasting his time, he’s gotta see that. He’s definitely only doing it ‘cuz Iruka is forcing him to. Gosh, he’s so smart, and I’m such an idiot, he definitely hates tutoring me.”

“ _ Naruto, he-”  _ Sasuke cuts himself off with a sigh, suddenly changing his words. “ _ If you’re going to continue to complain, you might as well just come over. _ ”

“Okay!!” 

\---

Sasuke crawls out of his bed after hanging up on Naruto and walks to his small kitchen. He opens the isolated cabinet filled with nothing but instant ramen packets reserved for times like these. Naruto comes over often enough that this became more than reasonable long ago. He knows Naruto will be over rather quickly, so he prepares one of the packets now for it to be ready when his friend arrives. Once it’s in the microwave, he steps over into the next room and turns on his TV and PS4, cueing up their favorite game- Street Fighter 5. 

Sasuke can tell Naruto’s having a bit of a breakdown about his tutoring, and knows this is what he needs for the night. Sasuke knows he’s not the most comforting person when it comes down to words; he’s never cared much for niceties. However, he knows the other simple things he can do to cheer his best friend up without having to say anything pleasant.

So, when Naruto comes in to the scent of ramen and the sight of Sasuke holding a controller out to him and smiles a genuinely bright smile, Sasuke knows he’s succeeded. 

The boys settle down on the couch together, side-by-side, clutching their controllers and aggressively mashing the buttons as they fight against each other. On screen, Naruto’s character Guile punches away, while Sasuke’s character Vega swipes at him with his blades. In the midst of the fight, Guile abruptly stops moving and receives a few quick cuts and slices from Vega before Sasuke realizes Naruto’s stopped playing. He looks over to this friend and says, 

“You’re dying.”

“I’m losing. A lot,” Naruto answers, staring blankly at the screen.

Sasuke pauses the game, waving his hand in its direction as he says, “Well, you were winning until you stopped playing, idiot. Now you’re losing.”

“I don’t mean in the game.”

“Oh.” Sasuke knows what he means. 

“I just…” Naruto sighs, staying silent for a moment. Sasuke doesn’t say anything either, giving his friend the time he needs to gather his thoughts. After a long, drawn out moment he continues, “I just feel like I’m going nowhere. I’m failing basically all of my classes except gym. This tutoring isn’t going to help. I’m just… not cut out for this. What if-” he pauses again, his voice cracking at the end. “What if I can’t graduate? What do I do then, Sasuke? I have no future, I’ll never get into any colleges, I just… I’m  _ scared _ .”

There is silence once more for several moments. Eventually, Sasuke says, “Don’t worry so much about the future just yet. If you spend all your time imagining how bleak it could be, you’ll never succeed in the present. Focus on what you’re doing now and do well with that, and maybe it’ll pay off in the end.”

“I- ” Naruto begins to reply, shutting his mouth shortly thereafter, unsure of what to say. He knows Sasuke is right; when isn’t he?

“You can stay the night, I guess.”

Naruto finally looks at him, a small smile gracing his features. “Thanks, Sasuke.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, on his way to physics class, Shikamaru recalls what he’d seen in Naruto’s binder. He furrows his brow as he steps into the classroom, unwanted concern sprouting in his gut.

“Something bothering you, Shikamaru?”

Shikamaru looks up to see Iruka eyeing him wearily. He thinks it could perhaps be beneficial to bring his concerns up to their teacher, so he meanders on over to his Iruka’s desk. “Naruto isn’t doing very well in most of his classes… I first thought maybe I should suggest helping him in them, along with physics. But… I more-so feel like it’s not really my place to just… butt in and call him out on failing,” he explains.

Iruka smiles, surprised Shikamaru was worried about it at all. “If you think he could use the help, then he most likely does and it’s not a bad idea. However, if you’re unsure about offering your help as you say, then you may offend him. Just do whatever you think is best, Shikamaru,” he answers.

“Um… Okay, thanks…” Shikamaru walks away to his seat, just as conflicted as he was before the conversation. Throughout the period, he spends more time thinking about the situation than the actual lesson. By the end of class, he’s concluded he won’t bring any of it up to Naruto. It would be far too troublesome, anyway.

\--

On Saturday, Naruto walks over to Shikamaru’s house for their third session. They both acknowledge to themselves that it goes far better than the previous meeting had, which is a relief to both boys. Naruto is shocked he finds himself getting some of it after having understood quite literally nothing the last time. Shikamaru, on the other hand, is just happy they’re back on track and can move on further into their notes.

Somewhere in the middle of their studying, Naruto asks, “Hey, I was wondering… could you maybe help me a little in another topic?”

Shikamaru pauses in writing out an equation and wonders was he could be talking about. He quickly comes to the assumption Naruto is planning on asking for further tutoring in his other classes, knowing what he does about that situation. “Sure, man,” he answers. He is taken rather aback, however, when Naruto brings up something completely irrelevant.

“I need some dating/wooing advice,” Naruto declares.

“Oh, well… I’m really not the best person to ask that sort of stuff.”

“Well, it’s a simple thing, ah… What would you do to get a girl’s attention? Like… in  _ that way _ ,” Naruto, despite himself, looks embarrassed by his inquiry.

“Do you just want her attention or are you planning on asking her out right away?”

“I mean, ideally if you had a good effective idea for how to ask her out successfully I’d just do that. I’ve been into her for a really long time, y’know?”

“Well… Hm.” Shikamaru scratches his head, unsure of what to say. He’s never really been into the whole prospect of romance and relationships- too much work. He’s not so crazy about effort, after all. But he imagines if there was someone he ever happened to be interested in like that, what would he do? After a few moments of consideration, Shikamaru answers. “I guess I’d just make it clear I was obvious about it. Like, no joking around when asking her out. Earnest approach, y’know?”

“I see…” Naruto rubs his chin in thought, slowly nodding as he goes over the advice he’s been given. “Now what does ‘earnest’ mean?”

\---

After their short intermission of romantic advice, Shikamaru gets Naruto back on track with their studying. They keep at it for a few hours, both figuring it was best to continue on while it was going so well. Eventually, Naruto makes his way back home, leaving Shikamaru alone once more.

Shikamaru lays in bed, replaying their session from today in his mind. Well, the parts where that actually involved physics, that is. Their overall work had started off alright, been a little rough, but was getting better again. He thinks that, even though they haven’t had a ton of progress, it’s still going quite well for one simple reason: It’s  _ Naruto _ and he’s  _ learning _ , albeit slowly. Shikamaru is ashamed of having briefly lost some of the hope he’d initially had. He realizes that if it were to be almost anyone else instead of Naruto that he was tutoring, their amount of progress made would be rather unsatisfactory. However, he is fully aware of how difficult it is for Naruto to maintain any relevant information in his classes, so this is  _ good _ , he’s sure.

As he continues to think about Naruto, he comes to the realization that he would like to become legitimate friends with Naruto. They spend a lot of time together as it is now, but not because they’re friends just hanging out like he suddenly wishes they were. He thinks it’s a little odd, due to the fact that he doesn’t have very many friends as it is. Any kind of relationship, including friendships, are a lot of work in Shikamaru’s eyes. He has only one truly good friend for this very reason- just Choji. 

There’s something interesting about Naruto that has everyone wanting to be his friend, Shikamaru notes. He contemplates this fact, attempting to figure out just what it is about the other boy that could have such an effect. Why does his personality draw people in so easily? Why did it draw even  _ Shikamaru _ in so easily? He fails to come up with any logical answer to this thought, eventually falling asleep frustrated with seemingly having found the one thing he can’t figure out.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Monday in school, Naruto seeks Sakura out in the lunchroom, finding her sitting with Ino, Hinata, and Tenten. “Hey, Sakura, can we talk for a second?” he asks with a shy grin once he reaches their table.

Sakura smiles softly back as she answers, “Of course, Naruto. What’s up?”

“Uh, well, actually, um. Could we go over there to talk?” He points a little ways away, to an empty table by the wall. 

She nods in agreeance and they walk over to the aforementioned table together, sitting down across from each other. “What did you wanna talk about?”

Naruto lets out a shaky, nervous breath before letting his spiel out.  “Well… Sakura, I need to be honest. I have a lot of feelings for you, and I have for a pretty embarrassingly long time. I know we’re friends, and I know you’ve never expressed any interest in me before, but I guess I’m just kinda taking a chance here. Would, ah… would you like to go on a date?” 

“Naruto, I…” Sakura begins, trailing off as she figures out what to say. She’s impressed by the gentle way Naruto asked her, having been expecting him to be overly excited or loud about it. “Alright. I would love to, but I can’t promise it’ll happen more than once. And I’m saying it couldn’t, it’s just… We can see how one date goes, okay?”

“Yeah, totally! Are you free Wednesday night?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

“Awesome,” Naruto says, overjoyed that it worked. He’ll really need to thank Shikamaru. “See ya later, Sakura.” They part ways, Sakura walking back to her friends, Naruto walking back to his. As he makes his way to his table with Sasuke, Kiba, Lee, Neji, and Shino, he happens to make eye contact with Shikamaru, who seems to have been watching the conversation. Naruto grins and sends a double thumbs-up his way, to which Shikamaru responds with a slight grin of his own.

\---

Just before class starts in physics later in the day, Naruto stands beside Shikamaru’s desk and eagerly thanks him for his grand advice. 

“I’m glad it worked out,” Shikamaru replies. “How’d you end up asking anyway?”

“Earnest approach,” Naruto informs him.

Shikamaru chuckles, saying, “Good for you, man.”

“Hey, do you wanna come home with me today for tutoring? You know, for a little change of scenery and all?”

“Sure,” Shikamaru answers with a light shrug.

\---

Once they’re inside Naruto’s apartment, Shikamaru takes in the new, unfamiliar setting. He sees little decoration at all, mostly bare walls, and not much color. It’s…  _ dull, S _ hikamaru realizes in mild shock. He’d been expecting Naruto’s place to be bright and full of vibrant colors (lots of orange), with pictures of his friends or posters covering the walls. He certainly wasn’t anticipating it to be this bleak. He notices there’s only two items on any of the walls, hanging together above the couch. 

While Naruto gets them both a drink from the kitchen, Shikamaru moves closer to the wall to look in better detail at them. It’s two framed photos: one is of a young Naruto, about three years old if Shikamaru were to take a guess, with a man and a woman he assumes are Naruto’s parents and another man he does not know. The second photo shows Naruto and Sasuke from what looks to be the beginning of high school with an arm thrown around each other. He often forgets they’re such good friends, since Naruto hardly speaks of him to Shikamaru and Sasuke hardly speaks at all.

Naruto resurfaces quickly and almost drops the cups when he sees his guest intensely studying his photos. “Here we go,” he says, feeling a tad awkward.

“Are these your parents?” Shikamaru asks him, pointing to the family photo.

“Um, yeah,” Naruto answers, setting the cups on the coffee table and standing beside Shikamaru. “Not that it’s hard to tell. I’ve been told a lot I look just like my dad.”

“You definitely do…” Shikamaru agrees, glancing at Naruto out of his peripheral vision. “And who is the other dude with you?”

“That’s my godfather, Jiraiya. After… Um. He raised me in his house until I was thirteen. Then he bought me this apartment; he pays the rent for me. He’s been travelling since then, gaining inspiration for his books.”

“He’s a writer? That’s cool.”

“Yeah. Funnily enough, it was from one of his books that my dad got the idea of naming me ‘Naruto.’” 

“That’s really awesome, dude.” Shikamaru furrows his brow, as he often does, wondering if it would be okay to ask what happened to Naruto’s parents. He doesn’t need to worry in the end, though, because Naruto tells him on his own.

“They… they were shot. My mom was visiting my dad at work for a lunch date. Jiraiya was babysitting me at home while she was out. This… this guy, Kurama I think was his name, did it. My dad had just fired him a day or two before then and I guess he wanted his revenge or something. He broke into my dad’s office and shot them both and killed a couple other people in the building too before he was arrested. I’m pretty sure he’s in Akatsuki now…” Naruto explains.

“The asylum?”

“For the criminally insane. Yup. I’d say he fits in pretty well…”

“Damn.”

“I’m sorry, I know you didn’t ask for all that. I just… I could tell you were thinking about it.”

Shikamaru turns to face the other boy fully, putting a hand on his shoulder. “It’s all good, Naruto. You didn’t have to tell me, I know it’s still hard for you to talk about. But I’m glad you did.” He moves his hand slightly to cup Naruto’s cheek. “I’m really honored that you wanted to open up about it to me.” He lets his hand slide off the other’s face and drops it at his side.

“Um… yeah. I just feel like I can really trust you, Shikamaru,” Naruto tells him, smiling awkwardly. “Anyway. Enough of that, let’s get to work!”

Shikamaru frowns at the abrupt subject change, but doesn’t object. They have a lot to get through.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is awkwardly short. Welp. Short, yet necessary, I suppose.

 

The following day, Shikamaru goes home with Naruto again for their fifth tutoring session. It goes quite swimmingly, on both ends, and they make even more progress through their notes. To celebrate the relative success they’ve had in their first week of tutoring, Naruto suggests their go out for dinner. He takes Shikamaru to his favorite place: the ramen stand just down the street from his apartment building. 

While out for their meal, they both get to know each other a lot better. Shikamaru discovers Naruto’s love for the color orange comes from his father, who had chosen to dress him in little else while he was around. Naruto finds out that Shikamaru hates being as smart as he is, because his teachers and his parents always get such high expectation that he knows he can’t live up to.

“So, how’d you and Sasuke become such good friends?” Shikamaru asks at some point.

“Oh, that’s a long story,” is Naruto’s initial vague response before jumping into a very detailed explanation of how he tamed the beast. It goes on for several minutes before he concludes with, “And when he realized I wouldn’t stop putting snakes in his foster siblings’ beds, he finally agreed to being friends.”

“...Wow…” 

\---

The next night, Wednesday, Naruto takes Sakura out. They don’t do too much, agreeing that simplicity is bliss. They decide to get ice cream from a stand and walk through the park together. Naruto surprises her by ordering her favorite kind, bringing a sweet smile to her lips because she was flattered he’s remembered still. 

As they walk through the park’s trail, they chat idly, genuinely enjoying just being in the other’s presence so simply. Naruto is happy to be there with her, this is what he’s wanted for years after all, but he can’t help feeling distracted for an unknown reason. He can’t figure out why he can’t get himself to focus on the moment. It’s everything he’d imagined, and yet…

He walks her home, like the gentleman he is. They stand together for a moment of silence in front of her door, a moment in which Naruto can’t help but feel compelled to kiss her. He realizes rather quickly that it might not be the best idea; she might not like it, and he has an off feeling that she isn’t the right person to be having this moment with. Naruto doesn’t quite understand that. Sakura is the only person he remembers ever wanting to kiss, so why doesn’t he want to do so anymore? Who could he possibly want over her? 

They say good night and Naruto begins his trek home. As he travels, he thinks more about how strange he’s felt all night. He attempts to come up with who it could be that he’d rather be with than Sakura, but fails to realize.

Just after shutting his lights off and falling into bed, Naruto hears his phone buzz on the his bedside table. He grabs it and sees a text from Sakura.

_ ‘I had a really nice time tonight. Thank you, Naruto.’ _

He texts back right away, agreeing that he, too, had a great night. They concur that it shouldn’t go beyond tonight, though.

_ ‘I think we both know our hearts belong to someone else,’ _ Sakura’s final text reads.

Naruto falls asleep feeling like he missed something.

 


	7. Chapter 7

At lunch Thursday, Shikamaru sits with Choji as per usual. After a short moment with no conversing going on, Choji decides to bring up a question he’s been wondering about to break the silence.

“How’s your tutoring with Naruto going?” he asks through a mouthful of his sandwich.

“It’s going pretty well, I’d say,” Shikamaru tells him. “I’m honestly pretty impressed. He’s doing a lot better than I’d expected him to when Iruka-sensei first told me I’d have to tutor him. I’d been dreading it, since I knew it would be a lot of work and all, but I’m actually really glad he put us together for this. Naruto is… he’s great. We’ve really gotten to know each other and we’re becoming friends. He’s cool, and he’s learning a lot.”

Choji whistles and says, “Well, I wasn’t expecting all that! Sounds like Shika’s got a little crush!” He breaks down into deep chuckles at his own comment.

“Sh-shut up,” Shikamaru answers, feeling his cheeks heat up a bit against his will. “I don’t. And besides, relationships are-”

“-too much work and too troublesome, I know,” Choji cuts his best friend off, finishing the sentence.

“They  _ are _ troublesome.”

Choji grins at him, amused by his denial.

\--

In their gym class, while playing basketball one-on-one with each other, Sasuke asks Naruto about his date with Sakura. Naruto doesn’t answer until a minute later, after successfully pivoting around Sasuke and making a three-pointer. 

Naruto passes Sasuke the ball and replies, “It was cool and all, but it’s not going anywhere. She… she said something about how she thinks both of our hearts belong to someone else. I don’t really know what she means.”

Sasuke dribbles the ball casually, knowing Naruto would rather talk about this now and continue playing afterward. “Idiot, she obviously meant you’re both interested in people other than each other.”

“Well, yeah… But, like. I don’t think I’m interested in anyone else. The only people I even hang out with or talk to regularly are you and Shikamaru. You’re my best friend, I don’t have any romantic feelings for you.”

“And what about Shikamaru?”

“We’re friends.”

“That’s it?”

Naruto hesitates. “Yes,” he answers after his short pause.

“Well, who knows. Maybe she was just talking about herself,” Sasuke says, knowing that’s not the case. Naruto had to think about his friendship with Shikamaru a little too long for him to be sure they’re just friends.

“Well, anyway. We both know Sakura’s in love with you, so maybe you should ask her out so at least one of can find that other person.”

“I- No. That’s ridiculous, why would you even suggest that?”

Naruto can tell Sasuke’s not really all that against the idea. He puts his hands up in surrender. “Sorry, man. Just sayin’ you’d be good together.”

“No. And when did this turn into you barging into my love life instead of the other way around?”

“Let’s get just back to the game,” Naruto says with a laugh.

\---

Later at night, Naruto sits on his couch attempting to write his history paper about Western Civilization and failing miserably. He wishes he had someone to help him with it, someone like Shikamaru. He greatly enjoys spending time with Shikamaru, he realizes, even if it’s just studying for classes he hates. He sits back and thinks about all the time they’ve spent together and how happy each moment they’ve shared has made him. Shikamaru has been really helping him learn, for which he is eternally grateful. The night they’d had dinner together was one of the best meals Naruto thinks he’s ever had, and he knows it wasn’t because of the food.

Suddenly, it all makes sense.

He gets it.

It’s Shikamaru he wants, it’s Shikamaru he wished he could kiss, it’s Shikamaru he let into his heart so quickly. 

Naruto recalls the first day he brought Shikamaru home, when he told him what had happened to his parents so easily. The only people he’s ever told the full truth are Sasuke and Sakura, so he hadn’t understood why he’d been so willing to let it out to Shikamaru until now. He  _ liked _ Shikamaru. He remembers the way it felt when the other boy had touched him, held his cheek so softly like he was  _ precious _ or something. Naruto thinks that would’ve been a nice moment to kiss.

Grabbing his phone from where it rested on the couch beside him, Naruto texts the apparent object of his affections.

_ ‘Wanna come over tomorrow? Tutoring and dinner?’ _

Shikamaru texts an affirmative back a minute later. Naruto falls asleep with a smile on his face.

 


	8. Chapter 8

Friday night, Shikamaru arrives at Naruto’s apartment a few minutes past their set time. He figures it’s expected for him to be late as he knocks on the door. Naruto opens the door after just a few seconds and instantly beams at the sight of him more than usual, Shikamaru notes with slight suspicion rising in his gut. Why would anyone, even Naruto, be  _ that _ excited to see him?

Together, they settle down on the couch and whip out their books and pencils. They chat a bit before beginning and, while in the midst of casual small talk, Shikamaru remembers Naruto had his date with Sakura just the other night and has yet to tell him any details.

“How’d your date with Sakura go the other night?” Shikamaru asks once the previous topic of Gai’s interesting teaching methods dies down. He notices the way Naruto rather quickly loses his little smile and bristles up. He remains silent, confusing Shikamaru, who had figured Naruto would jump at the opportunity to ramble on about Sakura and the presumably magical night they’d shared. “Naruto?” he calls.

Naruto flinches and looks at Shikamaru. “It was fine, it was good. It just…” he pauses for little more than a second before saying, “It would’ve been better if I hadn’t been thinking of someone else the whole time.”

Shikamaru’s eyes widen at the revelation. Did Naruto have feelings for someone new? Feelings so strong they were able to combat those for Sakura, whom Naruto has been infatuated with for years on end? He thought Naruto’s love for her was unconditional and that no one could ever get in the way of that. Interesting, he thinks. “Who was it you were thinking of, then?” he asks nonchalantly.

“I…” Naruto begins to answer before simply trailing off and leaving it at that. He hangs his head, feeling extremely awkward. He can’t just answer that question safely- he’d either be lying or getting his heart crushed.

Shikamaru takes the moment to study the boy beside him. Naruto looks almost ashamed, the way he’s got his head hanging like that, staring at his pants. He’s toying with the hem of his tee. Nervous, Shikamaru notes. He wonders why Naruto is reaction in such a manner to the simple question. They’re friends, right? Naruto has said he trusts him, so why would he be so uncomfortable with answering this particular inquiry? Shikamaru wonders who it could even be that is taking up so much space in Naruto’s head. He’s been spending so much time with Naruto, probably more than anyone but maybe Sasuke he bets, so why is someone other than him constantly dancing around the other boy’s thoughts? If anything, it should be him that Naruto’s always thinking of, he thinks.

With a slight jolt, Shikamaru realizes he’s  _ jealous _ of this mystery person. But why? It’s not like Shikamaru is obsessed with Naruto or anything. Sure, they’re friends, but he’s got other friends (well, one other friend) to be thinking of him. He struggles to come up with any solid reason as to why this would bother him so much. As he contemplates it all, what Choji had said the day before flashes through his mind briefly.

_ “Sounds likes Shika’s got a little crush!” _

Shikamaru brushes the memory away. He doesn’t feel that way about Naruto, he’s sure. He opens his mouth to say something again, maybe comment on how little Naruto has spoken the past couple minutes, but before he gets the chance to vocalize any of those thoughts Naruto himself speaks up.

“We should probably get started,” Naruto says.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s start,” Shikamaru concedes, glad for the distraction from his conflicting train of thoughts from a moment ago. They both open up their notes and Shikamaru begins his lesson on Newton’s Laws, pulling out a worksheet Iruka had given them for the topic.

\---

Once the boys finish studying, having successfully covered the three Laws and everything they entail, Shikamaru starts packing his things back up. Naruto exclaims, “Wait!” and grabs Shikamaru’s arm to get his full attention.

“What is it?” Shikamaru asks, looking up from his bag.

“Do you wanna stay and hang out for a while maybe?” Naruto hopes he doesn’t sound too desperate.

Shikamaru answers with a shrug and succinct “sure.” He drops his bag back down on the floor beside the couch.

“Wanna watch a movie or something?”

“Sounds good to me.”

They end up watching  _ The Matrix _ since Shikamaru makes an offhand comment about liking it. Naruto puts it on immediately after, hoping to please his guest. After he hits play, he scurries off to the kitchen to make up two packets of instant ramen for the both of them as dinner. He brings the bowls out shortly thereafter and hands one over to Shikamaru as he sits down with the other one in his hands beside his friend.

Throughout the duration of the movie, both boys repeatedly sneak quick glances at each other without the other noticing. In Naruto’s case, he does so simply because he feels a strong desire to just  _ look _ at Shikamaru, in awe of the fact that it took him so long to fall for him and to realize it once he had. Shikamaru, on the other hand, wishes to decipher the odd way Naruto has been acting around him today to settle his confusion. He’s noticed Naruto seeming rather awkward and nervous, far less obnoxious which Shikamaru knows for a fact is way out of character for him.

After the film ends, the credits rolling across the screen, Shikamaru says he should probably head on home. Naruto offers to walk him home, to which Shikamaru raises an eyebrow but accepts. They make casual conversation throughout their trek, eventually falling silent once they reach Shikamaru’s front door. They stand there for a long, drawn-out moment just looking at each other before Naruto realizes… this is it. This is what he’d wanted that night with Sakura. It’s almost the exact same situation, only this time it’s with the person he truly wants it to be. He blinks and says,

“I really like you.”

And finally, everything just sort of…  _ clicks _ for Shikamaru.

Shikamaru doesn’t reply, too caught up in his thoughts. How had he not realized it before? He should’ve been able to tell that Naruto has feelings for him, feelings are easy to deduce. Even more than that, though, he should’ve been able to tell that  _ he _ has feelings for  _ Naruto _ earlier. Choji was right, he knows that now. He shouldn’t have denied his best friend, Choji knows him better than anyone.

“Can I kiss you?” Naruto asks, his voice breaking through Shikamaru’s deep thought.

Shikamaru nods, allowing Naruto to lean far into his personal space and press their lips together. It’s a tad awkward on both ends, neither really knowing what exactly they were supposed to be doing in that moment, but overall nice. “Me too,” he says eventually.

Naruto smiles, kissing Shikamaru once more before turning on his heal and leisurely walking back to his apartment.

 


	9. Chapter 9

The following day, Saturday, Naruto receives a text around noon from Shikamaru asking if he wants to come over. Naruto hastily types back an affirmative, proceeding to shower and get dressed as quickly as he was physically capable of. He walks over in less time than normal, overly excited at the prospect of seeing Shikamaru. When he arrives, they start off by kind-of working on their tutoring, which doesn’t get very far. Naruto keeps making intentional physical contact, leaning closer when Shikamaru explains something or brushing their fingers against each other as they write. Figuring Naruto would continue this the whole time they studied, Shikamaru declares it to be pointless for now.

Naruto doesn’t voice a response; rather, he surges forward and kisses Shikamaru like he’s been desiring to do since he first stepped inside. Shikamaru rolls his eyes, having long since been expecting this to happen. He returns the action, giving no opposition when Naruto gently pushes him down to a lying position on the couch. He settles, pulling the other boy down on top of him without breaking their kiss. Somewhere in the mix, Naruto pulls his hair out of its updo, running his hands through the dark locks. Shortly after, Shikamaru lets his own hands sneak up Naruto’s shirt, succumbing to his sudden curiosity of what his chest feels and looks like.  _ Built as hell _ , he concludes, having thoroughly felt Naruto’s abs sculpted from years of sports and physical training. 

Shikamaru has gone so long thinking relationships were far too troublesome, pointless almost, but as they lay there on the couch making out for what feels like hours, he supposes he wouldn’t mind one with Naruto too much.

Just as he starts to think taking Naruto’s shirt off could be nice, they both hear a throat being cleared from nearby. They scramble apart, Shikamaru shoving Naruto to the opposite end of the couch, before looking up to make severely uncomfortable eye contact with Shikamaru’s parents. The boys glance once at each other, sharing a grimace, before just Shikamaru stands to face his parents. 

“You’re home early,” he says.

“Everything went better than expected. It didn’t take as long as we’d originally planned,” Shikaku explains.

“You didn’t tell me.”

“I didn’t think I needed to.” Shikaku eyes Naruto on the couch. “Namikaze.”

Naruto’s head snaps back up, his eyes meeting Shikaku’s in a mix of shock and confusion. “How do you know?”

“Minato was a business partner of mine a long time ago. The resemblance is uncanny.”

“I get that a lot,” Naruto says with a shrug. He stands and extends his hand to Shikaku, saying, “I’m Naruto, Minato’s son.”

Shikaku accepts the gesture with a nod, shaking hands. “Shikaku.”

Naruto awkwardly shakes Shikamaru’s mother’s hand as well, trying to be polite. She smiles at him, saying, “Would you like to stay for dinner, Naruto? We’d both love to get to know you.”

Naruto looks back at Shikamaru to gauge his thoughts on that and is met with an indifferent shrug. He turns back forward to Yoshino. “I’d love to! Do you need any help preparing?” 

Yoshino decides she likes this boy already as she accepts the offer and leads him to the kitchen to begin. After their gone, Shikamaru and Shikaku share a collective sigh. “We’ll talk later,” Shikaku says.

“Why not now? We’re alone, mom and Naruto are busy now.”

“Fine. How could you-” Shikaku begins, only to be cut off by his son.

“Look, if you’re just going to shit on my decision here there’s really no point in this conversation,” Shikamaru says.

His father gives him a silencing look. “Don’t interrupt. Shikamaru, you know I support the things you do. I am not unhappy about who you are with, as I know you have assumed. I’m simply displeased you hadn’t informer your mother and I of this… development.”

“I only just realized it was a thing yesterday.” Shikamaru shrugs.

Shikaku raises an eyebrow at him. “Nevertheless, I am happy you’ve found someone. That’s all.” He walks out of the room, going to carry his and Yoshino’s bags upstairs.

\---

Once dinner is served, the Naras and Naruto settle down at the table. Shikaku sits at the head, Yoshino on his left and Shikamaru on his right. Naruto sits beside Shikamaru, their hands clasped together under the table.

“So, Naruto,” Shikaku begins. “What do you like to do?”

“Sports, mainly. I don’t do much else besides hanging out with Shikamaru or my friend Sasuke,” Naruto replies.

“What do you play?”

“I’m on the baseball, basketball, track, and swim teams at school. I used to wrestle, too, but I quit this year.”

“You must be quite athletic, then,” Shikaku answers with a small chuckle.

“Definitely. My godfather used to always tell me how much my dad loved sports, so I originally started out playing to follow in his footsteps. Then I just started really loving everything about most sports, and my godfather took me out to a ton of games and matches, explaining everything that would happen throughout them. I practice during most of my free time.”

“That’s really impressive, Naruto,” Yoshino says, joining the conversation. “If you don’t mind me asking- are you living with your godfather?”

“Nah, actually I’ve been living alone since I was thirteen. I stayed with him up until then, but he likes to move around a lot for his work so he’s been renting an apartment for me. He drops in sometimes. He just didn’t want me to go through the system and all,” Naruto tells her. 

“Do you work?”

“I used to have a job at Applebee’s, but I had to quit since I didn’t have enough time for practice and homework and stuff,” Naruto says with a shrug.

“That’s good,” Shikaku tells him with a nod. “You should always focus on your schoolwork.”

Naruto grins at him and Yoshino, squeezing Shikamaru’s hand under the table. “Funnily enough, my homework is how me and Shikamaru got so close. He’s been tutoring me.”

Shikaku raises his eyebrows once again at his son. “Shikamaru, a tutor? I could’ve never foreseen that.”

They continue to chat throughout the rest of the meal, everyone getting along swimmingly. Naruto once again offers his assistance to Yoshino with cleaning up afterward, while Shikamaru and his father remain at the table .

“He seems like a good kid,” Shikaku decides.

“Yeah, I guess you could say he’s pretty great,” Shikamaru says.

“I’m glad you two are together.”

“...Thanks, Dad…”

After Naruto erupts from the kitchen, grinning lazily once he sees Shikamaru. “Hey, I should probably head home. It’s getting kinda late, y’know?”

“Yeah, okay. I’ll walk you home, even though it’s a bit troublesome,” Shikamaru replies, standing from his seat.

Naruto waves his hands, saying, “No, no. You should stay home with your parents and spend some time as a family… I’ll be fine on my own.”

Shikamaru is confused; he figured Naruto would be all for spending more time together. He takes a short moment to consider it. Naruto seems a little down, even if he’s doing well to hide it. Shikamaru has a feeling it has to do with meeting his parents, as it probably had Naruto thinking about his own the whole time. Shikamaru doesn’t voice his concerns, figuring Naruto wouldn’t be all too crazy about that particular conversation.

Instead, Shikamaru simply nods and walks Naruto to the door. He can feel his parents’ eyes on them as he says, “Text me when you get home.”

“Okay,” Naruto replies. “I will.”

“I’ll see you soon.” 

“Yeah, later.” Naruto pulls the other boy closer, briefly pressing their lips together in a soft kiss before opening the door and beginning his journey home.

\---

Once he is home, Naruto shuts the door and drops his bag on the floor, slowly maneuvering over toward the wall upon which his two pictures hang. He looks at the family photo for a moment before stepping over to the table beside the couch. He opens the table’s single drawer, pulling a handful of other photos he’d gotten from Jiraiya years ago out of it. 

Naruto drops to the floor, sitting cross-legged and laying the pictures out on the floor around his legs. He looks over them all, each showing his mother and father together from various points in their lives. He picks up a photo from their wedding, holds it in his lap, and just… remembers. Not for the first time, he imagines the scene of their death as well as he can. It’s a heart-wrenching image. He doesn’t know how long he stays like that before he hears a single knock on the door. He doesn’t look up at the door, nor does he rise to open it for the unexpected visitor. 

A moment later, he hears the door open and shut and suddenly Sasuke is sitting in front of him. Naruto had forgotten Sasuke has a key.

Sasuke reaches out and gently takes his hands, offering the comfort he knows his friend needs. Naruto lets the wedding photo slip from his fingertips, landing on his lap, as his hands are grasped. Neither of the boys says anything for quite some time. As they sit in this silence, Naruto lets himself recall the story of Sasuke’s past. His older brother, Itachi, had killed their parents after having found out all of their criminal activities and plans against the city. Itachi had been intending to take Sasuke to stay with him in his apartment when their parents physically attacked him, leading him to their murder in self-defense. After a previous tragic turn of events in which their mother and father had discovered everything their eldest son knew, they’d destroyed his office and all of his evidence, so no one believed his story when he was taken under arrest. Itachi ended up in the Akatsuki Asylum for the Criminally Insane, right alongside Naruto’s parents’ murderer, and Sasuke ended up in foster care. Naruto reflects on how their similar backstories and their shared suffering had helped to bring them as close as they are now. It’s the reason they’re able to understand each other better than anyone else ever could.

After a long period of silence, Naruto looks up at his best friend and inquires, “Why did you come?”

Sasuke replies, “Shikamaru texted me, said he was worried about you.”

“Why?”

“He said you seemed down before you left his house. And you never texted him to say you made it home safe.”

“Oh.”

“He expressed a lot of concern, but told me he thought it wasn’t his place to show up out of nowhere. That’s where I come in, I guess. If I’m being totally honest, I really never would’ve expected him to care so much about someone, even you.”

“Yeah, well. Typically you care about your boyfriend,” Naruto answers with a little chuckle.

“Wait, what?”

“We’re together, I guess. As of yesterday.”

“And you didn’t tell me immediately? That’s shocking. You never wait to tell me everything that happens in your life.”

“I dunno, I guess I’m still a little in shock over it now. I didn’t think he’d feel the same.”

“Well, good for you or whatever.”

“Thanks…”

Sasuke can tell Naruto is still rather sad and disheartened even after talking about his apparent boyfriend. “Do you want me to stay tonight?” He doesn’t think Naruto should be alone tonight.

“Yeah,” Naruto answers, letting out a shaky breath and smiling.

 


	10. Chapter 10

The next day is Sunday, on which Shikamaru goes over to Naruto’s apartment. Naruto greets him with a kiss and a pout when Shikamaru insists that they actually study today. Naruto tries to object, only to be shot down instantly, books shoved into his hands as he’s pushed to sit on the couch.

After several hours of studying with too few breaks for Naruto’s liking, they finally catch up to where they’re currently at in class. When they hit the end of their notes, they shut their books and sit back into the cushions comfortably together. 

“I’m proud of you,” Shikamaru states.

Naruto shifts on his back and lies his head in Shikamaru’s lap. “I couldn’t have learned any of this without the help of my amazing, beautiful genius of a tutor,” he says, reaching up to tap Shikamaru on the tip of his nose. 

“Yeah, yeah. You’re so troublesome.”

Shikamaru rolls his eyes and Naruto grins up at him. “Wanna make out?” Naruto asks.

“Why not?” Shikamaru drawls. Naruto snaps back up straight before shifting onto Shikamaru’s lap, lacing his arms around his neck. Shikamaru, in response, wraps his arms around the blonde’s waist, pulling him closer to his chest before tilting his head up, waiting for Naruto to tilt his down and meet him in the middle. He doesn’t have to wait long

 

Shikamaru ends up staying the rest of the day. Around eight, his receives a text from his father asking if he plans on spending the night at Naruto’s, to which he says yes. Around eleven, the boys fall into bed together, Naruto immediately cuddling up to Shikamaru and conking out in a matter of minutes. Just before falling asleep himself, Shikamaru places a soft kiss to his boy’s head and wonders how he got so lucky.

\---

The next morning, Naruto and Shikamaru walk to school together, the sight of them walking in drawing interest and attention from quite a few people. They’re moving completely differently- Naruto is practically skipping, clearly giddy with a huge smile on his face, while Shikamaru drags his feet beside him, looking bored as always. The most intriguing part to their peers is their fingers laced tightly together between them.

Naruto drags Shikamaru to his locker so he can gather his things for his first few classes, his companion leaning against the other lockers beside him as he does so. “Hey, do you wanna have lunch together today?” Naruto asks, still rummaging through his messy locker, full of random papers.

“Sure,” Shikamaru answers with a shrug. “I can get Choji to sit at your table I guess.”

“Okay, awesome.” Naruto smiles, shutting his locker and beaming at Shikamaru, whose lips turn up a tad in response. “See you then.” Before heading off to their respective first periods, Naruto is sure to pull Shikamaru toward himself and smash their lips together for several seconds.

Several people in the background mutter to each other about what they’d witnessed.

\---

Lunch is just before sixth period when the boys have physics, so Naruto is hyped to get so much consistent time with his man. He’s already sitting down at his usual table, Sasuke on his left side and an empty seat on his right. Typically Kiba took up this seat, but Naruto begged him to move so Shikamaru could be beside him instead. Soon enough, Shikamaru and Choji appear at the table, brightening Naruto’s mood even further. He pulls out the chair to his right and in turn, it is quickly occupied by his dude.

“Hiya,” Naruto greets, pecking Shikamaru on the cheek.

“Yo,” the other boy replies, a small smile gracing his lips at the affection.

Choji, who’s chosen to sit to the right of his best friend, outright laughs at their behavior, patting Shikamaru on the back a few times. He says, “Never thought I’d see the day Shikamaru gets a kiss on the cheek!” Naruto joins in his laughter, Shikamaru and Sasuke roll their eyes, and the other boys just now arriving look rightfully confused. 

“How long has this shit been going on?” Kiba asks, pointing at both Naruto and Shikamaru.

“Three days!” Naruto proclaims with joy.

“I’m happy you two are sharing the beauty of your youth together!!!” Lee shouts, overly dramatic tears suddenly sprouting from his wide eyes.

Neji joins in the rolling of eyes this time while Shino nods in silent congratulations.

After their lunch period ends, those of which have the same class head to Iruka’s room together. When they step inside, their teacher calls out to Naruto and Shikamaru, requesting a brief conference at the end of class.

The two boys are greeted by a wide smile when they approach him at the end of the period. “What’s up?” Naruto asks. 

“How has your tutoring been going, boys?” Iruka inquires.

“Really well!”

“Shikamaru?”

The boy in question nods lazily in agreement. He says, “Yeah, yesterday we caught back up with the rest of the class.”

“That’s wonderful!” Iruka’s grin gets impossibly bigger. There’s an odd glint in his eyes as he asks his next question, “And how have you two been getting along?”

Naruto and Shikamaru look at each other, a look that says, “He knows. How does he know?!” Looking back to their teacher, Naruto answers, “Really, really well!” He copies Iruka’s huge smile.

“Better than expected,” Shikamaru states. Naruto opens his mouth to ask just what he’d been expecting, but shuts it when he notices the faint coloration in his boyfriend’s cheeks. He feels his own face heat up a bit.

“Good to hear! I’m very happy this worked out so well. Good work, boys,” Iruka says, giving them both a thumbs up. “You can head on to your next classes now.”

The boys nods and step into the hallway. Once they’re out there, Naruto wraps his arms around Shikamaru and whispers, “Thank you,” before leaning in, Shikamaru meeting him in the middle.

Inside the classroom, Iruka observes the moment with a proud, unsurprised smile.

\---

Two months later, the end of the third quarter rolls around and the students are all getting their report cards. Throughout these two months, Naruto’s been getting help from Shikamaru in his other trouble classes, hoping for a positive outcome. When he’s handed his report card during the last class of the day, he holds his breath as he looks it over. 

 

_Phys. Ed._ **(Might)** **100**

_Algebra 2_ **(Sarutobi)**                  **79**

_Home Ec._ **(Yuhi)** **94**

_Woodshop_ **(Yamato)** **100**

_Physics_ **(Umino)**                       **89**

_World Literature_ **(Hatake)**         **80**

_History 12_ **(Shiranui)** **81**

_Biology_ **(Mitarashi)** **87**

 

Naruto doesn’t hold his cheering in.

\---

Later on the same day, Shikamaru goes over to Naruto’s place, planning on staying the night. The minute he steps inside, Naruto’s grades are shoved in his face. “Naruto, how do you expect me to read this so close?” he drawls. He grabs the paper from his boyfriend’s hands and studies it. It was impressive, just what he’d both hoped and expected. He knew before their studying together, Naruto only did that well in Phys. Ed. and Woodshop, occasionally World Lit. solely because its teacher has a soft spot for him. He looks up at Naruto with a smile on his lips and pride in his eyes as he says, “Nice work, Naruto.”

“It’s all thanks to you,” Naruto says earnestly, eyes shining with a mix of love and joy.

“Joint effort,” Shikamaru answers with a smirk and a one-shouldered shrug. 

“I love you.”

Shikamaru’s breath hitches at the words. It’s the first time either of them have said it in the two months they’ve been together. For the first time in his life, he is completely taken aback, totally shocked, so far out of his element. He’s never been in this kind of situation, never had a moment like this before. He’s pretty sure Naruto never has, either, but Naruto’s always been more open to love than Shikamaru has. He’s gone so long never thinking this was a moment he desired or needed, but now that’s it’s happened… he doesn’t think he wants to ever hear anything come out of Naruto’s lips but those three words again. 

“I love you, too,” Shikamaru answers, positive he’s never meant anything he’s ever said more than he means this.

They kiss, eventually tumbling into Naruto’s soft sheets, finally taking the next step in their relationship. As they lay together in the aftermath, bare limbs tangled up together, both boys reflect on how much they appreciate Iruka.

 

**END.**

 


End file.
